Q&A: Who’s Your Daddy? with Ari Miller
No, this isn't Maury. It's Magnet! Ari Miller is performing his first one-man show, Who's Your Daddy, all about the foibles of fatherhood. We talked with Ari to get to the roots of his family tree--sorta. Don't miss this spectacular event, Monday October 8th at 9pm!
What's Who's Your Daddy all about?
Who’s Your Daddy is a one man sketch show following a new father who is uncertain what kind of dad he’ll become. With limitless dad-styles to choose from, how can he know which is right for him? It was hard enough finding his own identity and now he has to help raise someone else! But his child is counting on him, so it’s time to grow up. Again.
Did you really get a letter from your dad that changed how you feel about fatherhood?
Sort of. My Dad doesn’t use postal mail but he *has* texted me “waazzzzuuuuuup,” in reference to that 90s Beer commercial, around
once a week for roughly the last six years. This is true. This is not a bit, my Dad does this. The fact that it started 6 years ago actually makes it stranger too, because that means he waited until the commercial wasn’t relevant for almost two decades before thinking “My son will love this.” So that changed my thoughts on fatherhood only in that I now believe I will never be as funny as my Dad is accidentally.
Have you done one-man shows before? What do you enjoy or dislike about being the only performer onstage?
I’ve never done a one man show but I co-hosted Character Bash for several years where I wrote and performed solo character pieces, so this is very much in my wheelhouse. I love being on stage alone because typically you’re performing presentationally, and that means you can address the audience directly. It feels like you’re playing with the audience not for them, which is really exciting! I’ve definitely been lucky with the sketch teams I was on at Magnet, where I’ve worked with really good friends who are super talented so my ensemble work has always been a blast, but being alone on stage has always been more comfortable for me. I guess I’m just a dark and twisted goth boy with a lost and lonely soul. Deal with it, America.
What kind of dad do you think you would be?
Oh damn dude. I don’t know. Right now I’d be a very poor and underprepared dad. Hopefully one day I’ll be a very poor but kind of prepared dad? I don’t expect to ever have money.
If the audience walks away from Who's Your Daddy with one takeaway, what would you like it to be?
I hope gratitude. It’s really difficult to find your identity, I know I didn’t feel comfortable with who I was until, like, last year? And I’m almost 30. Uncertainty sucks. But I’m grateful for my parents because (for better or worse) they’re my beacons. If I don’t stray too far, I’m not too lost.
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Solve the mystery of your parentage at Magnet, Monday 10/8 at 9 pm!
